I'm Back!!!

In all honesty I have not been meaning to neglect this blog. I completely forgot about it for a while. Sorry about that. Let me update you. 

Easter came and went in a flash. It was a good Easter though. I loved being able to hear the words of the Prophet and the other leaders of the church about Christ on Easter Sunday. It was perfect. We had bluebonnet pictures taken. I had to wear my new Cinderella outfit. I know I am an adult, but what fun is being an adult if you stop believing in having a little magic in your life. Also, I am still waiting for my happily ever after, so I see nothing wrong with my choice of outfit. We took Vivien since it is her first time seeing bluebonnets. She would not stop eating them. We got one kind of good picture though. 

 Ry Guy got his Eagle Scout!! A ton of planning and preparation went into the Court of Honor for it, but mom and I pulled it off. Two sheetcakes (made by me), water with strawberries on top and blueberries underneath so it was red, white, and blue, and an awesome ceremony complete with a picture slideshow that I put together for him. He did it! Congrats, wittle brudder! 

 I am 21! Not that it really makes any difference, but it is exciting. I am hoping to get endowed at the beginning of June in the San Antonio temple. When I turned 21 it really sunk in that I am only 21 and I feel like I have accomplished a lot. I mean, I am graduated. I am working on my application to grad school, I have a real job that I love, and I have a plan. Now, my plans have never really worked out before, but it is worth a shot. I decided on ASU for grad school. I want to get my Master's in Family and Human Development and get certified as a Child Life Specialist. Woot woot. 

 I have had a ton of fun lately. Mom and I got to go to Sixflags. I rode on rides I never would before. I mean, some of those are terrifying. I went on the Titan. I remember when it first opened. I was at the park with my mom and Aunt Diana. We waited in line, but I chickened out at the last minute. I cried while they rode because I thought they were going to die. Yeah I rode that. I also rode on Mr. Freeze. That was scary. I rode it once.... That's all I need, right? On every ride I would scream which would make mom burst out laughing. A little while later I would hear her say, "Now my mouth is all dried out!" Then, I laughed. We also did the Red Balloon Run and Ride 5K for the hospital we work at. That's always a blast. We went to College Station for two of my friends' ring dunks. I don't know why A&M made it a tradition to put class rings in the bottom of pitcher's of beer and then have people chug them to get the ring, but they did. Ew. My friends don't drink so they did lemonade and non-sweet tea. The one who actually chugged still threw up like everyone else. Just gross. I'm glad BYU mailed me mine. Thank you, BYU, for having traditions like sliding down a hill covered in blue foam and hiking to the Y on the mountain. 

 Becca comes back from Mexico in 8 days, but since it is so late I'm going to say a week!!! Becca will be home! I have missed her. At the end of June we get to go to Washington to see my Aunt Diana and her family. She has one kiddo getting baptized and a baby getting blessed. I am just so excited to meet her little 2 year old who is a little "imp" as they call her. When Diana asks what she is doing she says, "I be naughty" and keeps on going. Or if Diana asks if she wants to make the good choice or the bad choice she replies, "I make bad choice!" She is just too cute. I am also hoping I get to see Julie Anne while I am there. That would be perfect. The weekend after we get back I get to head up to Utah for a couple of days to see Jan Jan get married!!! And I get to stay with Meghan for one last time because in August I will be going back up to Utah to see her get married! I am so excited for my friends!!! 

Also, did I mention how much I love my job?! I get to help kids cope while they are in the hospital. I have had sword fights and tea parties, I have been hit in the face with a bright green popsicle, I get to do arts and crafts, and I just get to have fun. I loved one day when a little girl lit up when she saw me walking down the hallway and yelled, "Miss Megan is back!!!" How can that not make your heart smile!?! 

I think that gets us all caught up! I will have to post pictures of my adventures as they come because they are coming! 

As Promised

Top 2014 Highlights:

1. Movie nights with Julie Anne.
2. Tubing at Soldier Hollow. 
3. Hot Springs. 
4. Going to the last home basketball game with Meghan. 
5. Traditions Ball. 
6. Trying Thai food.
7. Andy Grammar concert. 
8. BYU Easter Conference.
9. Internship at DCFS.
10. Meeting/Hugging Sister Dalton.
11. Going to the temple more than 10 weeks in a row with Meghan. 
12. So You Think You Can Dance and numerous other adventures with Jan. 
13. 5K with my mom while wearing a "I Pooped Today" shirt. 
14. Kaitlyn got married!
15. I turned 20 and got pictures in the bluebonnets. 
16. Hiking the Utah arches. 
17. Seeing Cinderella at the outdoor theater with Dani. 
18. Hiking the Narrows and camping with Julie Anne. 
19. Carrie Underwood concert and fireworks for the 4th of July.
20. So many Seven Peaks days with Meghan. 
21. California. Need I say more? 
22. Getting to be there when President and Sister Samuelson got released.
23. Bike ride during a thunderstorm with Jan.
24. Kayaking and paddleboarding in a duck pond with Jan and the stake. 
25. Graduation. 2014!!!
26. Vivien Leigh. 
27. Texas State Fair.
28. Time Out for Women. 
29. My high school homecoming game.
30. My job at Children's Medical Center. 

Highlight of 2015: Someone said I could be in the show "Downton Abbey." My year has already been made!

I Don't Care If Monday's Blue

Sunday I tried another singles ward. That makes three now. I think someone should write a book about the life of someone in singles wards. Adventures and Mishaps in Singles Wards. Maybe I should write it. Maybe I will. Anyways, there were maybe 12 people there. And the Primary from the family ward before came in and did their program for us. And Sunday School consisted of a teacher without a lesson planned. And Relief Society was a girl reading from the lesson book and sitting on the table with an all too short dress so flashes of red underwear were quite frequent. Sadly, it was still better than the Arlington one.
Monday... Oh Monday... I felt like nothing was going right. I had a job interview, and I was stressed. Good thing I got the position. Otherwise I probably would have broken down in tears right then and there. I mean, the rest of my day consisted of not being able to print my resume, it finally printing but coming out on two pages instead of one, and Vivien eating the paper snowflakes I had taped to my window. But, like I said, I got the job! It is only a seasonal job, but it is something. And, maybe it will give me a foot in the door for a job when this seasonal one is over.
The rest of the week went as usual. Vivien being a terror even though she has been sleeping more because it is so cold outside, errands, paperwork for my new job, and most importantly, talking to my friends. Julie Anne even wrote me a poem. I love all of my friends, and now that my picture board has pictures of all of them I love going in my room even more than I used to. It got cold here which means I can bring out the 2/3 of my wardrobe that has been hidden in a drawer or in the back of my closet. Winter!! It's like Utah, and it makes me smile. Wow. I never thought I would say that. Except, my feet do get cold at night because I don't like wearing socks to bed. I wouldn't mind it if Vivien, who is a little space heater, would let me put my feet on her. It's just bad because every time I do so she growls at me. This week I have also been cooking dinner a lot. I have been craving Cafe Rio. We don't have those in Texas so I made their pulled pork. Oh my yum. Dad said if it didn't get me a husband nothing would. It was that good.
Ryan got off school early today. Which obviously means that we made a pan of brownies and at it with forks while watching a movie wrapped in a blanket and later eating leftover pulled pork. If you want the recipe here it is!

Hogwarts Will Always Be There to Welcome You Home

I love Harry Potter. The last movie was my first midnight premier, my mom read the first book to me and then I stole it to read it again under my covers at night. I grew up with Harry Potter. Each new movie was a new step. I love the magic, love, bravery, and friendship in each book. I love how each character overcomes trials. I love the Harry Potter marathons I have had with my mom and little brother and of course with my friends. I love the laughs they brought us as we watched some of the more ridiculous scenes ("HE WAS THEIR FRIEND!") and the tears when I watched the last movie for the first time and knew it was over. Most of all I love the memory of me knowing I could be friends with a new college roommate when she broke out her Hairy Otter shirt. Now, let me admit one thing. I have loved Harry Potter for years, but it wasn't until tonight that I truly appreciated it. I finished reading the books tonight. All seven. When the fifth book came out I could not wait to read it, but I could never get past the first chapter. I never read books five, six, or seven. I have now. I read all seven books just because I could. The actor Alan Rickman who portrays Severus Snape in the movies once said, "When I'm 80 years old and sitting in my rocking chair, I'll be reading Harry Potter. And my family will say to me, 'After all this time?' And I will say, 'Always.''' I will probably be the same way. I will watch the outdated movies that my kids may make fun of when I am old and gray. Dumbledore once said, "Words, in my humble opinion, are the most inexhaustible source of magic we have." He also said, "Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." So, with wonderful quotes in mind, here are a few tributes to Harry Potter that I can't help sharing. 

Rewind and Then Bring Us Back

Sorry, I am still trying to get caught up on these. I have one more after this post that I really want to get done, but then I should be completely caught up! This post is pictures from before I graduated and some of the adventures I have had since. 

Its's just beautiful. Isn't it?  

This binder... This is my last project of my undergrad degree. Thirty-one pages, articles, and multiple PowerPoints later, I have made a parenting toolkit and my parenting philosophy. We will see if it actually works in the years to come. 

 So, I know this really cool girl named Janessa. Honestly, I absolutely loved her as a roommate. Some of these pictures are blurry, but it is just us. This was our last Sunday together. 

 She is just the cutest!

 I didn't want my mom and grandparents to be bored while they were waiting for my dad and brother to get to Utah so I took them to the new Bean Museum on campus. I loved the Packer exhibit, all of the butterflies, and of course the cougar!!

These are pictures from the last FHE I had with Jan. As you can see when you put us out in a duckpond with paddleboards and kayaks we try our darndest not to get wet, but sometimes it is not an easy task because we are laughing so hard. Oh the adventures!

 Jan and I also went out for a last meal together. We of course went to Spicy Thai. That girl ate all of her food and then took pictures of me while I was trying to eat my fortune cookie. What a bum. ;)

 Then graduation came! What a wonderful day! And, I have officially been awarded my degree! It is REAL!

 The Y on the mountain was lit just for me (well, me and all of the other grads)!

   Yeah, so then we got home. Savannah's baby had to be retired. She just looks so happy about it. 

 I went out with Courtney one day. We sat in Chick-fil-a for hours. It felt like a few minutes. My dad even called at one point because he was babysitting, and Vivien was being a stinker (which is normal when she is awake). I eventually came home!

 And just in case you aren't tired of my puppy yet, here are a few more pictures of her: comparing her to her namesake, showing how little she was and how much she has grown, her first ride in the convertible, her first encounter with a cat, and of course her showing off her BYU blue nails for the season opener.

 Today was pretty great too. I went to the DeSoto ward and saw a few people I love, but I got to see Sister Bergquist which just made my day. I love her, and somehow she got me kind of excited about going to the Single's Ward and some of their activities. After coming home Mom and I went to Grandma's to make fried pies. I mostly watched, but I loved it.